Accent Tornado from Hyundai stable

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, OCT. 5. Car buyers will have yet another choice in the mid-segment with Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) launching a new variant of Accent.

The latest version - Accent Tornado - will have an engine capacity of 1.6 litre. The ex-show room price of the vehicle in Chennai will be Rs. 7.08 lakhs. This is expected to be made available in eight colours.

The 1.6 litre, 103 ps DoHC engine, HMIL claims, will make Accent Tornado among the most powerful cars in its class. The 14 inch alloy, they argue, will ensure absolute control even in toughest terrain. Its 185/60 R 14 Radials are the widest of all.

A release from the company says the car will ``offer exceptionally high-end performance along with significant low-end torque to meet the highway and inter-city driving needs.''

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr. A. P. Gandhi, President of the company, said the launch of Accent Tornado would drive the sales volume up by at least 10 per cent. As the sales volume of this variant was perceived to be low initially, HMIL would import the engines for the moment. ``We have no plans to make the engines for this variant here,'' Mr. Gandhi said.

Mr. Gandhi admitted that the market ``is soft and tough''. Yet, he indicated that HMIL would not revise the annual targets set already. For, he felt the current phase ``is only temporary''. Asked if the price differential of around Rs. 60,000 between an Accent GLX and Accent Tornado would discourage car buyers from opting for the latest variant in a trough situation, Mr. Gandhi replied in the negative. In his reckoning, ``people will absorb any new product if you provide value for their money.'' In this context, he pointed to how Sonata Gold was received well than Sonata GLX.

Eyes on auto insurance

Having made a foray into finance and pre-owned car businesses, HMIL is now seriously exploring the possibility of entering the auto insurance sector. According to Mr. Gandhi, the proposal is indeed the logical culmination of the company's desire to offer more services to its customers.

The company is now in the process of identifying the kind of insurance services it wishes to offer its clients. ``Once we have identified, we will then look for a suitable service provider,'' Mr. Gandhi told this correspondent.

Quizzed if its move to provide auto insurance service would call for major investment, Mr. Gandhi merely said Hyundai would pick the best service provider and lend its name.

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Section  : Business
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